Practical guides on Google Business Profile, local SEO, Google Ads and social media, written by the team that runs them every day.
Most profiles we audit are missing at least five of these. Here's the full list we go through in week one.
By Hamza Qureshi
Distance, relevance and prominence explained in plain words, with what you can actually change.
Broad keywords, no negatives and a homepage landing page. Here's how we fix all three.
Speed, a sticky call button and real photos matter more than fancy design. Our build checklist.
A simple system for asking, the message templates we use, and how to answer bad reviews.
Behind-the-scenes, before/after and answering real questions. Ten ideas you can film on a phone.
When a new client joins, the first thing we open is their Google Business Profile. It's usually the fastest way to get more calls, and most profiles have the same gaps.
Your primary category matters more than anything else on the profile. A roofer listed as "Contractor" instead of "Roofing contractor" is fighting with one hand tied. Check what the top three businesses in your area use.
Add each service you offer and write a short description for each one. These help Google match you to more specific searches like "flat roof repair" or "embassy attestation".
List the cities and suburbs you actually cover. Don't add 40 areas across the country. Keep it to where you can get to.
Weekly posts with real job photos show Google the profile is active. Offers and updates work better than generic tips.
Reply to good and bad reviews within a couple of days. Mention the service and the area naturally in your reply.
If you'd like us to run this checklist on your profile, ask for a free local audit and we'll send you a short video with what to fix.
Google uses three main signals to rank businesses in the map pack: relevance, distance and prominence. You can't move your office, but you can work on the other two.
How well your profile and website match the search. This comes from your categories, services, website pages and the words customers use in reviews. A dentist with a dedicated "clear aligners" page will beat one that only mentions aligners in a list.
How close you are to the person searching. This is why you rank well near your office and drop off a few miles away. Location pages and service-area pages help you show up further out, but they won't beat physics.
How well known and trusted you are. Reviews, ratings, links from local websites, directory listings and press coverage all count. This is where most businesses can make the biggest gains.
When we audit Google Ads accounts for contractors, we usually find the same three problems. Fixing them often cuts the cost per lead in half.
"Roofing" brings in students, job seekers and people looking for DIY videos. Use phrases that show someone needs the job done: "roof repair near me", "roof leak repair houston", "emergency roofer".
Add negatives for jobs, salary, training, DIY, free, cheap materials and any service you don't offer. Check the search terms report every week and keep adding.
If the ad is about roof leaks, the page should be about roof leaks, with a phone number at the top and a short quote form. Matching the page to the ad raises Quality Score and lowers what you pay per click.
A local service website has one job: get the visitor to call, message or ask for a quote. These seven things make the biggest difference.
On mobile, add a sticky call or WhatsApp button that stays on screen as people scroll.
Most local searches happen on phones. Compress images and avoid heavy page builders where you can.
Separate pages for each main service help you rank and let you send ad traffic to a matching page.
Stock photos make you look like everyone else. Before-and-after shots build trust fast.
Show your Google rating and a few real reviews near the top.
Name, phone, service and a message. Every extra field loses leads.
LocalBusiness and FAQ schema help Google understand who you are, where you work and what you do.
Reviews are one of the strongest signals for local rankings, and they're what customers read before they call. Most happy customers will leave one if you ask at the right moment.
Ask right after the job is finished and the customer is happy. Not a week later.
Use your direct review link from Google Business Profile. Send it by WhatsApp or SMS with a short message:
"Thanks for choosing us today, [name]. If you're happy with the work, a quick Google review would really help our small team: [link]"
Thank good reviewers by name and mention the service. For negative reviews, reply calmly, apologise for the experience, and offer to sort it out by phone. Future customers read your reply more than the complaint.
You don't need a studio to make Reels that bring in customers. The best-performing local content is usually filmed on a phone by the team.
Hook in the first second, keep it under 20 seconds, add captions because most people watch on mute, and end with one clear action: call, message or book.
